If you’ve ever wandered through Columbia State Park during the holidays, you may have caught a glimpse of the candy makers lovingly creating these delicious peppermint wonders. The candy canes are still made the old-fashioned way at Nelson’s Candy Kitchen in Columbia. Visitors can watch through the window every Saturday and Sunday at noon and 1pm from the end of November through the weekend before Christmas. Want to participate? This event is hosted by Nelson’s Columbia Candy Kitchen, this annual gift is…

Enjoy an hour-long walking tour of town led by a park staff member or docent. See the actual gold discovery site, learn about the buildings and early merchants of Columbia. Sponsored by The Friends Of Columbia SHP. Visit their website here for more information.

Sit around a campfire drinking hot cider or coffee and join in conversations with miners as they roast chestnuts. Children can make some favorite crafts of the 1850s and keep an eye out for Father Christmas as he wanders the streets looking for good boys and girls! Sponsored by Friends of Columbia State Historic Park, go to The Friends Of Columbia SHP website for more information.

Reserve the second Saturday of every month for Gold Rush Days at Columbia State Historic Park. You’ll get to see inside special exhibits, stores and residences not regularly open to the public. Docents in period attire will provide lots of information on the structure of their featured building, nature of its business and equipment, contents of store merchandise, or interior décor of family homes, along with history of the times for visitors. If you’re lucky, the gambling table will be…

If you’ve ever wandered through Columbia State Park during the holidays, you may have caught a glimpse of the candy makers lovingly creating these delicious peppermint wonders. The candy canes are still made the old-fashioned way at Nelson’s Candy Kitchen in Columbia. Visitors can watch through the window every Saturday and Sunday at noon and 1pm from the end of November through the weekend before Christmas. Want to participate? This event is hosted by Nelson’s Columbia Candy Kitchen, this annual gift is…

For over thirty years, the historic City Hotel has celebrated the holidays by recreating a 120-year-old banquet melodrama with a cast of colorful characters, minstrels, great food and wonderful wines. Mixing the melodrama with good cheer and holiday toasts, fine dining, and the beautiful surroundings of the restored hotel, it’s easy to see why the event is so popular.Guests return year after year to renew friendships, start their Christmas season, and spend the night in one the state park's historic…

Join us at the Columbia State Park Christmas Parade and add color and fun to your holiday season! Bring your kids! See horses, mules, donkeys, ponies and draft horses, their riders and drivers, colorfully decked out in holiday style in the parade on Columbia’s Main Street. Step back in time in the famous working Gold Rush town and enjoy a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus while watching the largest non-motorized parade in Northern California. The parade starts promptly at…

Enjoy an hour-long walking tour of town led by a park staff member or docent. See the actual gold discovery site, learn about the buildings and early merchants of Columbia. Sponsored by The Friends Of Columbia SHP. Visit their website here for more information.

Sit around a campfire drinking hot cider or coffee and join in conversations with miners as they roast chestnuts. Children can make some favorite crafts of the 1850s and keep an eye out for Father Christmas as he wanders the streets looking for good boys and girls! Sponsored by Friends of Columbia State Historic Park, go to The Friends Of Columbia SHP website for more information.

Las Posadas is a Spanish tradition that re-enacts the biblical story of Mary and Joseph's search for shelter in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. Since 1983 the people of Columbia have put on their own version of Las Posadas each December with a distinctive 1850s flavor. Characters in this re-enactment include Mary and Joseph and their donkey, the three Wise Men, tax collector and innkeeper, and miners and musicians and other costumed townspeople. Columbia's Main Street is decorated for the Christmas…